Splashing the cash in the summer after their promotion to the Premier League, Fulham’s big plans for the season have somewhat failed, with the Cottagers currently sitting in 19th, eight points from safety with a game in hand.
Slavisa Jokanovic, who masterminded the club’s return to England’s elite, has since been sacked, and now Claudio Ranieri is the one trying to pick up the pieces and attempt to salvage what he can from a rather terrible campaign.
With relegation back to the Championship looking increasingly likely, some players are already looking back at what has gone wrong this season, like Denis Odoi, who sat down with Sport/Foot this week.
He said: “We have the technical quality in the squad, but we probably don’t have the level of desire and discipline the Premier League requires. We didn’t start the season badly. We tried to play our game, but the difference is that at this level, the slightest error is immediately punished.
“When we had the ball, we were too open, so, when we lost the ball, we conceded too many chances. We quickly found ourselves bottom of the table and it’s hard to get away from it”.With just 11 games left in Fulham’s season, time is running out for the Cottagers to close the gap on Cardiff and Southampton, but six games against teams such as Bournemouth and Newcastle could allow them to scramble their way out of the relegation zone if they get some form going.
It’s a tough ask, but not an impossible one.
